FAQ

Does my game fit in with the Ravensburger Verlag?

You are not sure, whether your game idea could fit in with the product range? Then take a look at our current range under www.ravensburger.de. That way, you will get a first impression of whether your idea generally matches the existing product range and in which category it could be included. Under “Which ideas are we looking for?”, you can see what we are currently particularly interested in.

Can I present my idea in person?

You are very welcome to present your game idea during our office hours designated for authors. Please make an appointment with us ahead of time. Our office hours for authors are usually Thursday between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m.

Can I also submit suggestions for toys/play materials, ideas with an educational value or design ideas?

The Mühlenkind Kreativagentur is entrusted exclusively with the evaluation of board games and game ideas. Please contact customer service at Ravensburger Verlag GmbH with your enquiry. The colleagues there will accept your queries and forward them to the respective editors. Here is a link to the contact form of the Ravensburger customer service.

Ideas that are not of particular interest to Ravensburger include:

• Games for smaller target groups

• Games that are characterized by high strategic complexity

• Games that involve a significant material investment

• Variations or small adaptations to game materials of game ideas that already exist

(e.g. new variations of Memory, Dominos, Quiz games, etc.)

Does my game idea already exist?

It makes sense to have a look around in advance to see if there are already comparable games on the market (both domestically and internationally). A good place to start your search is on the Websites of major Internet retailers or at the Website www.luding.org.

Are ideas for licenses based on a box-office hit or television show welcome?

Not really. Often games related to licenses are issued by the Ravensburger publishing house as commissioned work. However, if you want to submit a game idea to a license, please make sure that your game idea also works even without the surrounding theme. The game mechanism is still an important consideration.

Testing games!

Put your game through its paces! Invite friends and neighbors to rounds of test games and optimize your game using their feedback. There are often valuable tips that are not immediately obvious to the game designer. Before you submit your game, you should have tested it at least 5 times, preferably with critical and objective testers.

Suggestion: Observe the test games as a quiet bystander. This will give you the opportunity to see where exactly there are still some things to iron out.

The answer is quite definitely: No. Do not spend too much time on the graphic development of your idea. It is of utmost importance to have a clear structure, a meaningful composition and rounds of successful test games. Make sure your games material is practical. Enduring entertainment and comprehensible game rules are more important than an attractive look!

Will my game idea be kept confidential?

When reviewing and evaluating your game idea, all documents, drawings, sketches, prototypes, etc. made available to you are treated "confidentially" - but are not treaded with absolute "secrecy".

The information obtained as part of the submission will be used as part of the review of the submitted game idea, which means that we will discuss it with test players as well as with the editors. In particular, this includes the employees of Mühlenkind Kreativagentur and of Ravensburger Verlag GmbH.

Nonetheless, we will not publish or otherwise disclose information about your documents, drawings, sketches, prototypes, etc. without your prior written permission. This being said, we do not consider your submission as a "secret" in the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/943 on the protection of trade secrets and the laws / proposed legislation based thereupon.

What are the royalties for the publication of my game idea?

If Ravensburger Verlag offers you a licensing agreement, usually you are the one to negotiate the percentage amount of the agreement. As a rule of thumb, the royalties amount to approximately 3 to 5 percent of the average net sales price in the industry.

Here is a calculation example: Let us assume that the retail value for the game is €20. The net sales price is approximately €10. A 5% royalty would yield €0.50 per game sold.

Is there suitable information for game authors?

A German guide for game authors “Leitfaden für Spieleerfinder” by Tom Werneck is now in its sixth revised edition in a book format. The guide is a manual for young game authors who don’t yet have very much experience. This guidebook is a source of information that will offer you an insight into the processes involved and help you to avoid some typical mistakes.